This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing an accurately metered portion of a semi-fluid food product such as ground meat fillings, cream fillings or pastes. Machinery for the mass production of food products for these fillings are mixed and supplied in a semi-fluid or pasty state under pressure to a dispensing apparatus. When the food product is a meat food product, it is generally prepared in a grinder and then mixed in and dispensed from a machine called a "food pump" or "stuffer." The stuffer dispenses the food product under pressure for further processing or for dispensing into the finished food product.
Many prepared food products require an accurately measured amount of a filling to be inserted into a shell or casing. For example, pre-made Mexican food products have recently become increasingly popular. In a taco or enchilada, a pre-measured amount of ground meat must be dispensed into the taco shell or tortilla. Previously, this has been done by hand which is extremely expensive and time consuming. However, it is necessary that the amount of meat product be accurately maintained such that the shells or tortillas are not given too little meat, in which case the users would complain, or more than the guaranteed minimum amount of meat, in which case the manufacturer would have incurred excessive costs. In the past, it was always better to over-fill the shell or tortilla so that the customer would not complain. However, by over-filling, the manufacturer is losing profits.
Similarly, in bakery products which require a cream or jelly stuffing, various types of machinery have been introduced which will dispense a pre-measured amount of such food products. However, if the food product is extremely thick, chunky or granular, it often clogged the nozzles used to dispense such products. In fact, most of the prior art devices used for bakery fillings were designed for use with a creamy filling which did not have to address the problem of chunks of a food product such as ground meat. One such example is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,691 entitled "Cake Filler." This device was a dispensing apparatus for semi-fluid materials such as cream fillings for bakery products. However, as can be seen in this patent, it would easily clog with chunks of meat product and is not applicable for such fillings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,551,419, there is disclosed a filling machine for bakery products. A piston provides a pressure on the filling material which is disbursed out through a manifold. A series of ports which are valve-controlled disburse the product onto a conveyer belt. A shortcoming of this device is that it does not provide for accurate metering of the food product nor is it particularly well suited for a ground meat product.
Apparatus which is used to measure and dispense pre-determined amounts of a powdered material are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,518. The '518 patent does not provide for a means of receiving and ejecting a semi-fluid or paste-type food product and, therefore, would not be applicable to the present invention.
In the past, when attempting to increase production of filling taco shells or tortilla shells, the solution was to merely add more manual labor along the assembly line. This, however, is not cost efficient. Rather, it would be preferred if a mechanized system could be devised which automatically dispenses the proper amounts of the meat product into the shell upon demand. If still further production output is required, it would be advantageous if more conveyer lines could be added along with an apparatus which is positioned above the conveyer line to deposit the food product into the taco shell or tortilla. In the prior art, no such device had ever been constructed for a meat-type filling. Ideally, the device would be able to dispense an accurately pre-measured amount of meat product into the taco shell or tortilla such that the meat product is accurately positioned in the center of the receiving medium. Furthermore, the device should stop dispensing the product after the pre-determined amount is dispensed until the next receiving medium is in position to receive the food product. Thus, one wants to accurately dispense an amount of food product at a specific receiving location at a specific time. If additional production is required, beyond that which a single device can operate, parallel conveyer lines could be added all operating off of a central food supply apparatus.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a food metering head which can accurately and precisely dispense a pre-determined amount of food product. Related to this object is the object of providing such a metering head which will dispense the food product upon receipt of a signal. Also related to this object is the object of sending a signal to the metering head signifying the presence of the food receiving medium, such as a taco shell or tortilla, beneath the metering head.
Another object is the object of providing a metering head which works in conjunction with a food preparation device such as a stuffer or food pump which provides the food product at a constant pressure to the metering head. Related to this object is the object of providing the ability of adding parallel metering heads adjacent to each other such that additional conveyer lines can be placed next to each other as production demand requires. Related to this object is the object of providing a central manifold from the stuffer or food pump which provides the food product under a constant pressure to the metering heads. Related to this object is the object of providing a central manifold which dispenses the food product to one or more metering heads at a substantially constant pressure.
Still another object is the object of providing a metering head which can easily be adjusted to control the amount of food product to be dispensed.
Yet another object is the object of providing a metering head which is easy to disassemble and clean, and can be manufactured of materials suitable for the food industry.